Description
The heartbeat of community: The concept behind Festival of Small Halls
by Narelle Walsh TN173 – Oct 25
Across the vast landscapes of Australia, there are thousands of humble community halls.
They sit at the heart of small towns and rural communities, built by locals as gathering places, dance floors, wedding venues, and safe havens in times of hardship.
They hold the collective memory of generations, stories etched into their walls, laughter soaked into their floorboards.
It is these spaces that form the beating heart of Festival of Small Halls.
Born from the ethos of bringing world class music into the most intimate of spaces, Festival of Small Halls is a project that transforms these beloved community halls into vibrant concert venues.
Unlike large city arenas or bustling festival stages, a small hall show is personal.
The audience is close enough to feel every note reverberate, every lyric land, and every story told as if it was shared across the kitchen table.
At its core, the Festival of Small Halls is about connection.
Each show is a meeting of worlds, touring international and Australian folk and contemporary artists to local communities, often in towns overlooked by traditional touring circuits.
The magic lies in the exchange.
Musicians bring their songs and stories, and the community responds with warmth, hospitality, and a unique sense of place.
From homemade suppers and volunteers running the door, to kids dancing in the aisles and elders reminiscing about dances of decades past, each night becomes more than a concert, it becomes a celebration of community spirit.
The festival also shines a light on the halls themselves.
Many of these small halls were once the lifeblood of their town but have grown quiet over the years.
By drawing audiences back, Festival of Small Halls helps reinvigorate these spaces, both financially and socially.
The shows encourage locals and visitors alike to value and preserve these buildings as cultural treasures.
Since its inception, Festival of Small Halls has welcomed an extraordinary array of artists from around the world, singer-songwriters, folk legends, and rising stars.
What they find in return is an audience unlike any other: attentive, open hearted, and deeply connected to their community.
For artists, performing in a small hall often becomes one of the most memorable steps of their career.
Now celebrating its 47th tour, the Festival of Small Halls has become a cornerstone of regional arts in Australia.
It embodies the belief that music doesn’t just belong in big cities or on festival stages, it belongs everywhere, especially in the places that need it most.
At the heart of it all is a simple but powerful idea, when communities open their doors, and artists bring their songs, something extraordinary happens.
And in those small halls, under tin roofs and cute, handmade bunting, the spirit of live music burns brightest.
Festival of Small Halls is currently on the road with our Spring Tour 2025 (Oct 1 – 25), bringing the incredible Joe H Henry and Georgia Mooney to 15 community halls across Queensland and New South Wales.
Joe Henry is an acclaimed American singer songwriter and producer known for his unique blend of folk, blues, jazz, and rock music, with a career spanning over three decades.
He has released 15 studio albums and produced multiple recordings for other artists, including three Grammy Award winning albums.
While we’re soaking up every moment of this journey, we’re already looking ahead.
Our next adventure will see us return in March–April 2026, with a brand new lineup and a tour winding through Victoria and New South Wales.
Stay tuned for artist announcements, dates, and the chance to experience more world-class music in the heart of regional communities.
A true community event in a hall near you
TN168 Jan 25
Festival of Small Halls Australia is a series of tours that takes the best folk, traditional and contemporary acoustic artists and sends them on the road to tiny halls in communities all over Australia.
Festival of Small Halls Australia was inspired by an annual event in Prince Edward Island, Canada.
In Australia, our regional tours have been running since 2013.
As of 2024, we have produced 700 shows over 43 tours in 380 unique communities, worked with over 900 local support artists and lifted the spirits of 67,000+ rural, regional and remote audience members.
Festival of Small Halls is a project of Woodfordia Inc, producers of Woodford Folk Festival, in partnership with many other wonderful Australian festivals, regional partners and supporters of folk, traditional and contemporary acoustic music.
Unlike traditional music tours, each night of the tour is co-hosted by a local community group, hall committee or council, and it is a chance for a town to show off their warmest welcome.
We create authentic, long term partnerships with host communities to ensure longevity and legacy beyond the first project.
The artist line-up for Small Halls is always one Australian act and one International act.
They’ve been chosen for the tour not only because of their beautiful songs and tunes, but because they have the ability to really connect with the people they play for, whether through storytelling, the ability to tell a good joke (or a truly terrible one), and a real interest in visiting places a little off the beaten track.
It’s an opportunity for welcoming communities to invite fantastic international and domestic musicians into their towns, and a way of exploring this vast country in the spirit of hospitality, good music and great fun.
From our farmlands to the flood lands, the rainforests to the outback, Festival of Small Halls Australia audiences can expect a beautiful night of original music, as well as a chance to catch up with their families and friends during a supper break, where cake and tea are served.
It’s an all ages event and all are welcome.
See our current tours and find out more: festivalofsmallhalls.com
Bring us to your local hall.
